Tag: SPCK Reviews
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Leviticus is a difficult book. The Levitical land is littered with detailed and verbose laws concerning cleanliness and uncleanliness, priestly garments, proper and improper food, bodily discharges, and the proper way to kill an animal. What’s more, scattered across the landscape are bodies of well meaning poor souls who resolved to read the Bible in a year. As difficult as the Bible can be at times, I am a firm believer that the books that demand a little more patience and hard work from their readers are always rewarding. Such is the case with Leviticus, a book that – along with 1 Maccabees – is often the punchline response to, “hey, what are you preaching from this Sunday?”. However, as with many foreign lands, Leviticus is in fact a rich and beautiful place once you begin to understand the accent and customs. L. Michael Morales has journeyed long in Leviticus and lived to tell the tale, and he has written a guide for us interested travelers through this treacherous terrain. This book is Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? (hereafter Who Shall Ascend) in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series; a series that is as excellent as its covers are bland.

Believe it or not, I’m still (a year later) slogging through Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Fans of G.K. Beale may know that he “famously” read Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God while brushing his teeth. Well, I’m not at all competitive, but I’m reading PFG on my iPhone! I know this is sacrilege for bibliophiles, but it seems to be working for me right now. Basically, I squeeze in a few pages here and there.

Thomas Schreiner is professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, pastor of Clifton Baptist church in Louisville, Kentucky, and author of many well-received books. For some, his commentary for Romans will need no introduction as it is over a decade old now and very popular; in that case, I am writing to you by way of reminder (Rom 15:15)! For others, it is my joy to introduce and recommend this work to you.

I’m continuing my walk through Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of Godand for the sections on religion and Rome I have nothing really to say. The chapters were very good and I have much to think about, just nothing really to report. So I will leave you with some choice quotes.

“Paul lived and worked, in fact, in at least three worlds at once” (p75), namely, Israel, Greece, and Rome. I’m working through N.T. Wright’s leviathanesque Paul and the Faithfulness of God, and in this first major ‘part’ (348 pages) he is first attempting to situate Paul in history before turning to his worldview and theology, parts 2 and 3 respectively.

“Paul lived and worked, in fact, in at least three worlds at once” (p75), namely, Israel, Greece, and Rome. I’m working through N.T. Wright’s leviathanesque Paul and the Faithfulness of God, and in this first major ‘part’ (348 pages) he is first attempting to situate Paul in history before turning to his worldview and theology, parts 2 and 3 respectively.